Decoder required for new tv?

p15574

Hi, a lot of useful information in this forum, perhaps I could trouble you experts for some more?

I've just bought 2 LCDs and can easily get the DTT trial signal. I know the trial is due to end soon, and that in Ireland the plan is to broadcast an MPEG4 signal. What I want to know is this:

1. Are Ireland 'going it alone' in Europe with regard to the DTT signal format?
2. Do current tvs only support MPEG2 and thus will the digital tuner on these tvs be obsolete?
3. If so, I presume I'll have to shell out for a set-top box for these brand new tvs if I want DTT?
4. Or does it depend on the particular tuner in the tv concerned?
5. I need to get another tv. Would it be best to await the official DTT launch, when surely tv providers (eg Power City) will have to sell tvs with integrated digital tuners compatible with the Irish signals?
6. If "no" to 5, I've seen some tvs on Komplett going cheap, possibly due to the lack of a digital tuner. If the digital tuners in other tvs will be obsolete, then surely these tvs are a bargain?

thanks,
Steve.

TheDriver

Its envisaged digital boxes will be fairly handy priced and remember if you want to avail of pay services, you will most likely need the stb anyways.
Nothing wrong with an stb so these tvs would be abargain but probably a bargain for other reasons too e.g. specs

watty

1)No. MPEG4 is already used elsewhere and will replace MPEG2 even in mature MPEG2 markets like UK
2)Mostly yes. And many Analogue only so called HD Ready and normal flat screen TVs sold in Ireland. Flat screen and HD are separate issues to type of tuner. Due to speed of change of coding, compression and transmissions tuners will get obsolete quickly. No current system will last anything like the lifetime that CRT screens have had. Regarding the screen as Monitor and the tuner as a separate item like HiFi separates (Tuner, Cassette, Amp, record player add CD player later ... even remove the record player) is better especially as Satellite and Cable are important as Terrestrial (each have about 1/3rd of households).

3) Yes. Or a satellite receiver, which will give more free channels, more HD etc. Or both to watch RTE on DTT and everything else on free satellite.

4) ??
5)No. See earlier answers. Get to like set boxes.
6)Carefully check what else the TV does. Many LCDs and even plasmas are terrible quality compared with ANY crt. Ironically HD Ready sets give near CRT quality on standard TV pictures and if ONLY used for Standard TV give FAR better pictures than ordinary flat screens, yet may not be good for HD! (Unless it's 1920x1080 native pixels it's only "HD Ready" not actually HD).

For real HD you want to pick a TV about 50% to twice the size you used to, otherwise you don't really need HD>

Go by HEIGHT of picture, not diagonal. e.g. A 36" WS is really the equivalent to a 28" 4:3 CRT!

p15574

OK, thanks for the info. As you say, I'd better get to like set top boxes!

parasite

Do you envisage a PVR that can seamlessly merge DTT and SAT channels with one EPG ?